Harrisonburg’s Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center will play host to a series of free discussions focused on exploring and honoring African American history in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.
The first of three events will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, as “Remembering Black Baseball in Virginia” brings a reunion of baseball players from leagues around the Shenandoah Valley to the center from 2 to 4 p.m. Darrel Howard, author of “Sunday Coming: Black Baseball in Virginia,” will speak during the event.
Brian Johnson, author of “Send Judah First: The Erased Life of an Enslaved Soul,” will host a discussion at the City’s second Black History Month event on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 2 to 4 p.m. Johnson’s historical fiction novel chronicles the life of a young girl who is stolen from her African village and enslaved on a plantation in Virginia. The author will share his research and discuss his experiences writing this book.
The third event, to be held Saturday, Feb. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m., will feature a discussion of The Genesis Project. Jeff Taylor and the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project will discuss the effort to preserve and record grave sites for slaves and freed slaves all over the Shenandoah Valley.
“We are very excited to be able to host three very unique events that each tell their own special story about African American history in our region,” Lucy F. Simms Center’s Stephanie Howard said. “We hope as many people as possible will take advantage of these free, informative events to help grow their understanding of all the amazing ways African Americans have contributed to the extraordinary fabric of our history, culture and future here in Harrisonburg.”
Visit www.harrisonburgva.gov/black-history-month or e-mail [email protected] for more information on the Black History Month events happening at the Lucy Simms Center.
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